


Art, I think

by orphan_account



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Art Museum, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, M/M, Multi, crowd boos, everyone else is like ????? dating what is this, everyone is also oblivious, everyone is happy, hahah, joly and bossuet have shit figured out, oblivious everyone, sings dON'T ASK ME, this took the entirety of summer vacation to write, ugh anyway, yayy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-24
Updated: 2014-09-24
Packaged: 2018-02-18 14:07:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2351147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Enjolras flicked his hair out of his face. He'd forgotten a hair tie today. Thinking about asking Jehan for one, he rummaged through his pockets again in a last resort.  He found a pink one he suspected he had borrowed from Cosette. He made a mental note to return it to her at some point today.  Enjolras turned to Grantaire. "What were we arguing about? I’ve forgotten."  </p><p>Grantaire shrugged again.  "I don’t even remember. Politics? I feel like it was politics." </p><p>“You’re probably right.” He pulled at a loose button on his shirt. "Do you have the flyers done yet?" He asked."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Politics, I think

**Author's Note:**

> aka everyone is a broke college student who works at an art museum and no one knows how feelings work

Enjolras flicked his hair out of his face. He'd forgotten a hair tie today. Thinking about asking Jehan for one, he rummaged through his pockets again in a last resort.  He found a pink one he suspected he had borrowed from Cosette. He made a mental note to return it to her at some point today.  Enjolras turned to Grantaire. "What were we arguing about? I’ve forgotten."  

Grantaire shrugged again.  "I don’t even remember. Politics? I feel like it was politics."

“You’re probably right.” He pulled at a loose button on his shirt. "Do you have the flyers done yet?" He asked.

Grantaire nodded, glancing at his reflection in the mirror and straightening his collar. "I finished them last night. Red and black, just like you asked.”

Enjolras sighed in relief. "Okay, good," He said. "We'll need them at the meeting this evening."  He watched as Grantaire fussed over his untamable hair in the mirror. "Haven't lost another pin have you?" He asked.  

Grantaire laughed and Enjolras found himself smiling slightly. "Not yet.”

Enjolras snorted quietly in amusement.

Courfeyrac suddenly walked into the men's room. He stopped and looked at the two of them."I can go to the other bathroom if you two are still having your meeting or whatever you call this." He said.

Grantaire snorted and waved him off. "Nah, I've got a few paintings to grab that just came in this morning."

Enjolras nodded. "My first tour starts in," He checked his watch, "12 minutes." He pulled his hair into a ponytail quickly and walked out the door.

"Okay then." Courfeyrac mumbled. Grantaire sent him an almost apologetic glance, Enjolras had already left.  "So, " Courfeyrac said. "What was that about." It wasn't a question.  

“Politics, I think.” Grantaire said as he hopped off the sink, gave a little wave and left the bathroom.

Courfeyrac scoffed to himself. “Politics, my ass.” He glanced at the clock and realized that he was late for his next tour. “Shit!” And he ran out the door.

**  
  
**

Enjolras loved his job, he really did. But middle school girls could be a pain in the ass. He knew he was attractive, he had been told many, many, _many_ times. He just didn’t really think it was that important. He did hate it when all the girls swooned over him when they were supposed to be paying attention to the tour, though.

“And this is where we end our tour.” Enjolras said with a smile, although it was a bit forced.  

“What do we say to Mr. Enjolras, class?” The teacher said.  

“Thank you Mr. Enjolras.” Some of the students droned, most of the girls sighed adoringly and Enjolras resisted the urge to cringe, but a few seemed sincere, which made Enjolras’ smile a little less forced.

“You’re very welcome.” He said. The teacher smiled at him gratefully, and then ushered her students out the door to the bus.

As soon as he heard the bus pull away, he dropped his smile and sighed in relief and slight exhaustion.  

Enjolras rolled his shoulders and groaned, walking to what the employees of the museum had dubbed “the help desk.” Really, what it was was a table covered in pamphlets and various business cards and right now, a couple textbooks belonging to Combeferre. Enjolras sighed loudly and slumped over the desk, which took Combeferre by surprise as he yelped and accidentally knocked a couple of papers to the floor. “Enjolras you scared me!” He said as he leaned down to retrieve the fallen papers.

“Do you think Courfeyrac was just joking when he said Jehan gives good massages?” Enjolras asked.

“Why, thinking of asking for one?” Combeferre half-joked. Enjolras just groaned, his face pressed against the pages of one of the textbooks. “Maybe we should cancel the meeting today.” Combeferre said, shaking his head slightly in amusement at Enjolras’ antics.

“Why?” Enjolras asked, looking up suddenly.

“We’ve been working too hard, Enjolras.” Combeferre sighed. “There’s been a meeting every other day for two weeks. I think everyone needs a break.”

Just then, Courfeyrac came by with his own tour group, which consisted of about 20 five or six year olds and a middle aged woman who Enjolras assumed was the teacher. He smiled and waved to them cheerfully. Combeferre waved back, his cheeks flushing slightly. Enjolras looked between them incredulously as Courfeyrac led his group away, spouting trivia the whole time. Combeferre stared dazedly after him.

“So,” Enjolras began, startling Combeferre back to reality. “What do you suggest we do instead?”

“Huh?” Combeferre asked, his cheeks still flushed. “Oh, well, maybe a movie night?”

Enjolras looked unimpressed for a moment. Then, sighing, he relented. “Fine, but I’m not hosting. You remember what happened last time.”

Combeferre turned even redder.

 


	2. Daisy Chains and Board Games

Marius was sitting in the garden. Marius was sitting in the garden looking bewildered and absolutely covered in daisy chains next to Jehan who was making said daisy chains at an frankly alarming rate.

“-and our third anniversary is in three days and I still don’t know what to buy her!” He continued. “I thought about buying her a necklace but I bought her one last year, so I’d be getting her the same gift twice and-” he paused for breath and Jehan took the opportunity to cut in.

“Sweetheart, I’m sure she’ll love whatever you buy her.” Jehan said as ey discreetly slipped another daisy chain onto Marius’ head.

Marius blinked once, and then twice, and then said “Thank you, Jehan.” Jehan had a way of calming people down that worked almost every time.

Jehan smiled. “Anytime.”

Marius stood up, and walked into the museum. He sometimes came on his lunch break to visit Cosette, whom he just so happened to encounter as he walked towards the front door.

“Marius, where did you get all these flowers?” She exclaimed.

“Jehan.” Was all the explanation Marius gave. It was all the explanation needed.

Cosette smiled fondly at Marius, and reached up to pluck one of the chains off his head to arrange it prettily on her own. “I wonder if we can press these into my scrapbook.” She said.

Marius just smiled down at her adoringly. He knew exactly what to get her.

**  
  
**

“You’re such a good boyfriend.” Bossuet muttered to himself. “The best boyfriend. I wonder if they make mugs with ‘#1 boyfriend’ on it.”

Joly giggled from behind Bossuet where he was bandaging a cut on his head. “Maybe they do. We can look it up when we’re done here, okay?”

Bossuet mumbled an affirmative.

“And, done!” Joly declared. “Just don’t touch it, and be careful for a day or two.”

“Okay.” Bossuet said cheerfully. “Want to watch a movie?”

“How to Train Your Dragon?”

 

“You know me so well.”

“Well,” Joly said, smiling. “I am the world’s best boyfriend.”

Bossuet laughed and kissed Joly’s cheek before setting off to find the remote.

 

“No, we cannot watch Tangled again, we watch it every movie night!” Enjolras complained from the beanbag chair he had claimed. Bossuet sulked next to Joly who glared at Enjolras and patted Bossuet’s arm comfortingly.

“Oh, come on Enjolras, we’ll let you pick the next movie.” Bahorel argued back from the couch.

“He’s gonna pick some old black and white movie. Just put on Aladdin for fuck’s sake.” Feuilly said somewhat petulantly beside Bahorel.

“Jesus Christ,” Grantaire said, “Let me pick the movie.”

“R, you always pick really awful ones!” Bahorel pointed out.

“Why don’t I ever get to pick?” Marius asked quietly.

“Because you take like 3 hours to pick!” Eponine said.

Several people began shouting at once.

“Quiet!” Enjolras snapped. Everyone immediately stopped arguing and looked at Enjolras expectantly. “Grantaire, pick the movie.”

Everyone looked at him in surprise. True, they had gotten closer since their first year of college, side effects of working closely at the museum, but no one had been expecting that.

“Well?” Enjolras prompted.

Grantaire blinked and nodded. “Okay.” He said.

Grantaire knelt down in front of the book of DVDs that Bahorel and Feuilly (they had decided to hold movie night in their apartment) kept under the TV and started flipping through.

Everyone was still looking at Enjolras, which was beginning to make him uncomfortable. Jehan looked at him with something like knowingness on eir face which made him nervous for some reason. Combeferre and Courfeyrac were so wrapped up in each other that they weren’t even paying attention, not even the sudden silence had disturbed them, which for once he was grateful for.  

“Hey,” Grantaire called and finally everyone looked away from Enjolras to look at Grantaire. “is it okay if we watch a horror movie?”

There was some murmuring and then some mumbled “yeah’s”, but Enjolras realized Grantaire was looking at him. He was looking for his approval. “Yeah, horror’s fine, horror is good.”

Grantaire nodded and put the DVD in.

When Enjolras looked back over to where Courfeyrac and Combeferre were sitting curled up in an armchair, Courf was leaned haphazardly over one of the arms, but Ferre was looking at him funny. Confused, almost.

And then he remembered.

 

Enjolras hated horror movies. He always had. He and Ferre watched one when they were about twelve, because his mom finally decided they were allowed to watch horror movies. Enjolras had to go home, and they hadn’t watched another one since. And now, Enjolras had just told Grantaire it was fine, good even, to put a horror movie in.

Enjolras shrugged as if to say ‘ _well i haven’t seen one for eleven years, i want to try again._ ’

Combeferre sighed like Enjolras was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever encountered which, true, but still.

Enjolras turned to look at the screen just in time to see a woman with blood all down her front and whimpered. He fucking whimpered.

Grantaire had moved backwards towards Enjolras’ beanbag at some point. Looking to the ground in front of the TV he could see that he’d moved in order to let Joly and Bossuet flop down onto their sides on the floor. Enjolras assumed he had heard him because he looked back with concern. “ _You okay_?” he mouthed.

Enjolras smiled and nodded in a way he hoped was reassuring.

Grantaire raised an eyebrow, looking completely and utterly unconvinced. He patted the floor besides him quietly, a silent invitation to move next to him.

Enjolras slid off his beanbag and landed next to Grantaire who turned to whisper in his ear “You don’t like horror movies do you.”

Enjolras shook his head. Grantaire sighed quietly into his hair before whispering again “Then why did you say yes? We could’ve watch something else, I think I saw ‘Hot Fuzz’ in there.”

Enjolras turned his head and whispered “Didn’t want to disappoint everyone.”

“I don’t think they would’ve minded much, nobody was very enthusiastic about it in the first place.”

“They were distracted.”

Grantaire pulled back to look at Enjolras confusedly. “By what?” He asked, still whispering.

Enjolras shrugged his shoulders helplessly because honestly, he didn’t understand either.

“Do you want to go to the kitchen or something? So you don’t have to watch?”

“Okay.”

Enjolras stood up, stepped over Marius and Cosette, pointedly avoided going near Eponine because she was fucking scary and he didn’t understand how no one else was bothered by her having knives on every inch of her person, and walked into the kitchen, followed shortly by Grantaire.

“So,” Grantaire started.   
  
“Please, don’t ask about the horror movies.”

R looked at him for a moment and chuckled, “Well I was gonna say that I think Feuilly and Bahorel keep boardgames in the cabinets under the kitchen island but I’ll keep that in mind.”

Enjolras smiled despite himself. “Do you think they have Uno?

Grantaire smiled. “I’ll look over on this side.”

 


	3. Idiots

Bahorel was dying. Or at least, he felt like he was dying. Not that he had ever died before, but if he had to guess what dying felt like, this would be it.

Feuilly had fallen asleep on him. Who falls asleep watching a horror movie anyway? He fell asleep while some woman got brutally murdered, which was about 20 minutes after Enjolras and Grantaire left for the kitchen. He wondered what they were doing in there.

He heard a shocked noise and decided for a moment that no, he really did not want to know what was happening until Enjolras appeared in the doorway, fully clothed (thank god) bent over and picked up- a toy soldier. They were playing Risk.

Whatever. If they lost a piece he’d make them buy him a whole new game.

Bahorel was vaguely wondering how Grantaire had managed to convince Enjolras to play Risk when Feuilly shifted in his sleep and mumbled something unintelligible and Bahorel was suddenly reminded of the fact that he was dying.

Fucking ginger with his fucking work schedule and his fucking stupid sleeping habits. Bahorel supposed he could move but Feuilly was a really light sleeper and he worked two jobs a week so he needed all the sleep he could get. Yeah, he was just doing him a favor and letting him sleep.

And if he fell asleep twenty minutes later and woke up the next morning to pictures of him and Feuilly asleep on the couch plastered all over Instagram and his Facebook wall?

Well then that was his business.

(it was also his business if he saved each and every one to his phone’s gallery.)

**  
  
**

Feuilly was pissed. Feuilly was beyond pissed. He had agreed to host movie night with Bahorel when he could have been working or doing something productive. (not to say he didn’t enjoy movie nights, they were plenty enjoyable, but he did have other things to do.) He had then proceeded to fall asleep on Bahorel, who could’ve woken him, but he didn’t. No, that bastard just fell asleep right underneath him.

And that was why Feuilly had woken up to pictures of him and Bahorel asleep on the couch all over Facebook. Instagram too. Jehan had probably put it on Tumblr too, ey probably wrote a poem about it.

God damnit.

Bahorel hadn’t even mentioned it to him. He’d woken up in his own bed. When he went to make himself breakfast, Bahorel was still lying on the couch, the rest of their friends in various uncomfortable looking positions on the floor (or in Combeferre and Courfeyrac’s case, tangled up in the armchair.) He walked into the kitchen to look for some pancake batter, and found Enjolras and Grantaire asleep on the floor, leaning on each other surrounded by assorted colors of risk pieces.

While he made pancakes, he scrolled through his facebook feed, and found multiple pictures of himself, asleep on top of Bahorel, who was also asleep. Instagram was the same.

So he decided to get back at him. By hacking his phone.

It was stupid, he knew that. But Bahorel was strangely protective of his phone. Mostly because he had a lot of shit on it that Feuilly could use as blackmail material. (not that he’d ever actually blackmail him, but Bahorel’s reactions were kind of hilarious.)

He pushed Bahorel’s feet off the couch, grabbed his phone from where it sat on the arm of the couch, and sat down.

Bahorel’s passcodes were always numbers and they were always stupidly easy to guess. He opened the phone and found that it was not a keypad that appeared on the screen but a keyboard and the instructions to use it to type in the password.

First he tried Bahorel’s name, nope. Then he tried “les amis”, nada. He tried a dozen other passwords, no game. Just for shits and giggles, he typed in his own name and hit “ok.”

Bingo.

Wait, what? Feuilly looked suspiciously at his roommate. Why would he put his name as his password? Because he figured it would be the last thing anyone would guess? Well, that was a little hurtful.

Feuilly looked nowhere in particular with a confused look on his face. Why do I care that if it’s the last th- _holy shit_.

With that frankly alarming realization in mind, he tapped a random app, which happened to be the facebook app. There was one unread message, as the app helpfully alerted him. The message was from Grantaire, and it read “omg are you fucking serious?”

Feuilly clicked on it. He didn’t know why, he had always been very much against reading other people’s messages, but here he was.

His name was the first thing he saw. He read the message it appeared in.

And promptly almost dropped the phone.

**“dude, i think im in love with feuilly”**

**“fuuuuuck”**

He reread the message. Twice.

“Are you fucking serious.” He said quietly.  But apparently he wasn’t quiet enough.

Besides him, Bahorel groaned, sitting up and stretching his arms out. He did that stupid (read: fucking adorable) thing that he’d always done where he wiggled his fingers as he stretched. What? It helps wake up my entire arm! He opened his eyes and almost immediately they focused on Feuilly. Or, more specifically, the phone, his phone, that was in his hands.

“Oh my god.” He said quietly. Bahorel had never been quiet in his life. Not now, not back when they lived in New York City, never. “Oh my fucking god, how did you get into my phone. Why did you get into my phone.”

Feuilly didn’t answer either question, instead he asked “So, secretly in love with me, huh?” mentally congratulating himself for sounding much less surprised and more confident than he felt.

Bahorel swallowed. He looked afraid. That was another thing he never did, look afraid. “I’m sorry.” He said. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, it just did, okay.”

“Don’t apologize.”

Bahorel must have thought he was angry, “I’m sor- shit, I’ll just, I’m just gonna go. I can move out if you want I’m-”

Feuilly cut him off, “Don’t, Bahorel. I’m not mad at you, okay?”

“You’re not?”

Feuilly couldn’t think of any reply that didn’t sound like something out of a romantic comedy, so he did the next best thing. Leaned right over and kissed him. Bahorel made a shocked sound before practically melting into it, which Feuilly couldn’t help but feel smug about.

Bahorel pulled back slightly and murmured against his lips “We’re a couple of idiots, huh?”

 **  
**Feuilly laughed quietly and said “Yeah we are.” Before leaning back in to kiss him senseless.


	4. A thing?

All of Eponine’s friends were stupid as fuck. All of them were in love with each other. Bossuet and Joly had been dating since before she met them, and it was horrifyingly cute. Marius and Cosette were literally on the verge of marriage, there were bets on how long it’d take for one of them to pop the question.

Feuilly and Bahorel finally got their asses in gear, and were now surprisingly the most disgustingly romantic couple Eponine had ever seen. The last time she had seen them, Feuilly had been sitting in Bahorel’s lap for god’s sake. Not that she hadn’t seen Bossuet and Joly or Cosette and Marius do it a million times before but these were two men who wore leather jackets and regularly beat the shit out of people. It was disconcerting.

Being best friends with Grantaire definitely had it’s perks. He knew where the best place to get tattoos were, he made really fucking good omelettes, his apartment was big, he was good at braiding hair which she, Cosette and Jehan regularly took advantage of, but there were some downsides too. The most prominent being he was a fucking idiot who decided it was a good idea to pine after  Enjolras of all people.

She knew he was going to get hurt. She didn’t want it to happen obviously, like she said, Grantaire was her best friend. She wished she could stop him from being so god damn infatuated but she couldn’t. And she didn’t hate Enjolras, but sometimes she wished she did because of how easily he lead Grantaire on and how he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.

As she said, her friends were stupid as fuck.

**  
  
**

“So, uh, are you and Eponine like, a thing?” Enjolras asked sheepishly.

Grantaire turned away from the mirror to look at him in surprise before laughing. “No, she’s aromantic.”

“Like Jehan?”

Grantaire thought for a second. “Kinda, but she’s heterosexual, not ace.”

“Oh, okay.” Enjolras said, his tone tinged with something that sounded almost like relief.

“Why do you ask?” Grantaire inquired.

Enjolras looked like he was blushing, but Grantaire pushed that thought away because why would he? “Just curious, I guess.” He muttered.

“Okay.” A question had been itching at Grantaire’s mind and he figured now was as good a time as any to ask. “Hey, are Combeferre and Courfeyrac dating? They act like they’re dating.”

Enjolras closed his eyes and groaned in exasperation. “No, they’re not, and it’s getting ridiculous.”

“Someone should get them to do something about that.” Grantaire stated decisively.

Enjolras hummed in agreement. “I would say Joly and Bossuet but I don’t think they even asked each other out, I think they just decided they were boyfriends from the get go.

Grantaire laughed again and nodded. “Bahorel and Feuilly are just not matchmakers nor could they ever be. The only reason they even knew they both liked each other was because Feuilly fucking hacked Bahorel’s phone.”

The statement surprised a bark of laughter out of Enjolras. “I couldn’t do it, they’d kill me after they finished having sex.”

“And I couldn’t do it because they’d never believe me.”

Enjolras looked at him strangely for a moment but moved on. “Not Marius.”

“Not Marius.” Grantaire agreed hastily.

“Cosette maybe?” Enjolras suggested.

Grantaire considered this. He was going to say Jehan but it occurred to him that Jehan would probably write poems in languages that none of them spoke and say “this’ll definitely work, i promise.” So ey were out. Eponine just didn’t care. “Yeah.” Grantaire said. “Yeah, I think Cosette would be the best choice.”

“I can ask her, I have to return a hair tie she lent me anyway.” Enjolras volunteered.

“Alright.” Grantaire said. “I’ve gotta go help Feuilly put up a new exhibit, but uh, talk to you later?”

“Yeah!” Enjolras said, weirdly enthusiastically. “Yeah, definitely.”

Grantaire smiled brightly and strode quickly out the restroom door.

**  
  
  
**

“You want me to what?” Cosette asked, disbelief written across her face.

“Please, they’re driving me insane!” Enjolras pleaded.

“Enjolras, I’m not going to interfere with other people’s love lives!”

“But if someone doesn’t do something, nothing will ever happen. They’re convinced that their interest is unrequited.”

Cosette sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “You know what, fine. Whatever, but I’m not helping right now, I’ve got a date with Marius in two hours.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Enjolras said earnestly.

“But you owe me!” Cosette told him.

Enjolras nodded quickly. “Of course, anything.” He promised.

“Anything else you want to tell me before I leave?” Cosette asked in a tone that clearly stated he’d better not ask her anything else unless he wanted to get his ass kicked.

“No.” Enjolras said quickly.

Cosette looked “I’m going to go now, and if I’m late for my date, I’m blaming you.” She put her coat on and left with a little wave.

Enjolras watched her go for a moment, wondering if there was anything she had wanted him to ask about, before pushing that thought aside and pulling out his phone.

**to grantaire: she’s gonna help!!!!**

**from grantaire: good!! :D**

Enjolras smiled to himself, looking the little emoticon.

**to grantaire: she yelled at me bc i probably made her late for her date w marius :(**

**from grantaire: ur better than marius anyway tbh**

Enjolras blushed at Grantaire’s seemingly offhand comment.

_Wait._

Everything suddenly clicked into place and his eyes widened.

_Oh._

****  
  



	5. Hey girl, I think I wanna marry you

Marius felt like he was going to implode, that’s how nervous he was. He anxiously checked his hair with his metallic spoon for the fifth time in twenty minutes.

“Hello.” Marius looked up to see Cosette watching him warmly.

“You look wonderful.” He said in awe.

Cosette smiled, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles on her dress. “Thank you.”

They sat down. “This is a really nice restaurant.” Cosette said casually. Marius made a quiet sound of agreement. A waiter greeted them and placed two glasses of champagne on the table. Marius shifted nervously. Cosette looked at him questioningly. “Champagne?” She asked.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Marius said uncertainly.

Cosette laughed lightly. “I didn’t say it was a bad idea, I like champagne just as much as the next girl. Just surprising, I suppose.”

Marius laughed too, albeit nervously. “Uh.” Marius stopped. Cosette tilted her head and narrowed her eyes in confusion. She beckoned him to go on. “So there was something I wanted to ask you.” He said, and he pulled at his shirt collar a bits discreetly as possible, which was not very. Cosette looked at him in slight concern.

Marius fumbled in his pocket for the little black box. “We’ve been together for three years now, and I uh, I really like you a lot. Well, I love you a lot.” He laughed nervously again. “So,” He slid to the floor and internally cheered when he didn’t fall on his face. “I wanted to ask you,” He pulled out the box and opened it. “Cosette, marry me?” He looked up at her, and she was crying. “Oh god, I messed something up didn’t I? Just, forget this ever happened o-” But he was interrupted by Cosette literally launching herself at his and saying “I will never forget this, not ever. Yes Marius, I will definitely marry you. Definitely.”

Marius’ face lit up with the most blinding smile anyone had ever seen and he slipped the ring onto her finger before giving her what probably qualified as a bear-hug.

**  
  
**

“So,” Combeferre said. “Marius and Cosette are finally engaged.” He tugged his fingers through Courfeyrac’s hair, whose head was in his lap, eyes closed and smiling contentedly.

“Yep.” Courfeyrac said. “Jehan wants them to have the wedding in the garden behind the museum.” He laughed. “Cosette wanted to have it on the beach, and Marius wanted to have it in a church, but ultimately we all know that Jehan knows best.”

Combeferre smiled and Courfeyrac opened his eyes, his own smile widening some.  “Did I tell you the story abo-” Combeferre’s phone buzzed, and Courfeyrac looked at it. Combeferre shook his head and beckoned for Courfeyrac to go on. As Courfeyrac rambled through a story about a kindergartener who got his arm stuck in one of the exhibits that Combeferre had heard twice already, his phone buzzed insistently and Courfeyrac stopped in the middle of the sentence and said “Oh for god’s sake just pick it up.”

Combeferre did, and his notifications alerted him that Enjolras had been texting him. He opened his messages.

**From Enjolras: ferre**

**From Enjolras: answer me**

**From Enjolras: pls it’s urgent**

**From Enjolras: i need to talk to u please**

**From Enjolras: it’s about grantaire**

**From Enjolras: ferre i think im in love with him**

Combeferre gasped audibly, and Courfeyrac flung himself across his lap again, which Combeferre pointedly didn’t blush at. “What is it?” Courfeyrac asked. Combeferre handed him the phone. “Oh my god.” Courfeyrac whispered. “Oh my god.”

**To Enjolras: oh my god**

**From Enjolras: thanks ferre thats so helpful**

**To Enjolras: sorry just**

**To Enjolras: wow**

**From Enjolras: i know**

**To Enjolras: so how did you know**

**From Enjolras: same way u did probably**

Combeferre didn’t blush. Not even a little.

**To Enjolras: code sunshine**

**From Enjolras: oh jesus sorry**

**From Enjolras: is courf there**

**To Enjolras: he just said hi**

**From Enjolras: hey courf**

**To Enjolras: ok but seriously how did you know**

**From Enjolras: idk he sent me a dumb text with an emoticon and i was like “wait do i love him”**

**From Enjolras: the answer to that question ended up being yes**

**To Enjolras: wow that’s straightforward**

**From Enjolras: i feel like thats sarcasm but idk so im gonna move on**

**To Enjolras: hah so what are you gonna do about it**

**From Enjolras: idk**

**To Enjolras: do you really not know or do you think im gonna disapprove**

**From Enjolras: ...i was thinking of just pining from afar forever**

**To Enjolras: jesus ur clueless**

**From Enjolras: ???**

**To Enjolras: ur the only person on the planet who doesnt realize grantaires in love with you i mean seriously MARIUS figured it out before you did**

**From Enjolras: ...wait seriously?!?!?!?**

**To Enjolras: yep**

**From Enjolras: aND NO ONE THOUGHT TO TELL ME THIS????**

**To Enjolras: well u have a tendency to be a little tiny bit**

**To Enjolras: “mean”  -courf**

**From Enjolras: im a horrible person**

**To Enjolras: no your not now shut up and go talk to him**

**From Enjolras: yeah ok**

**From Enjolras: also courf ask ferre what code sunshine is if u haven’t already**

Combeferre blushed and there was no denying it this time. Courfeyrac looked like he was about to ask but Combeferre said “Give me a minute”

**To R: enjolras is about to knock on your door**

**To R: you should let him in**

 


	6. Maybe Seriously Could Be our Always

Enjolras’s heart was beating frantically in his chest as he knocked on the door of what was referred to universally as Grantaire’s office but was actually a repurposed janitor’s closet. “It’s not locked!” Grantaire shouted from behind the door. Enjolras pushed it open, and Grantaire looked up. He smiled. “Hey, Apollo. I figured you’d be here.” Enjolras’s heart was almost drowning out the rest of his explanation. “Combeferre just texted me and told me you’d be here soon. What do you need?”

“I need to tell you something.” Grantaire looked at him quizzically but Enjolras swallowed whatever half-assed speech he was about to give and surged forward, pressing his lips to Grantaire’s. Grantaire made a surprised sound and froze, and Enjolras started to pull back with an apology on his tongue, but then Grantaire fisted his hands in his hair and his shirt and pulled him back. The kiss lasted for what seemed like hours.

“So, what brought this on?” Grantaire asked breathlessly when they finally pulled away. “Because it was amazing, don’t get me wrong. Probably the best kiss I’ve had in my life.” Nervous pride surged in Enjolras’s chest. “I’m just a little confused as to why you would want to kiss me of all people. Plenty of much prettier people out there in the big wide world.”

“Because I like you.” Enjolras said and Grantaire looked surprised. “There are lots of people out there, yes. But I like you. I don’t want any of those people, I just want you, okay?”

Grantaire nodded dumbly, still dazed. “Well,” He said slowly. “That’s good. Because out of all those people, you’re the only one I want, too.”

Enjolras’s answering smile was blinding.

**  
  
**

“What is ‘code sunshine’?” Courfeyrac asked. Combeferre went into what seemed like a coughing fit.

“Um, well. You know how Cosette once called you ‘literal sunshine’?” Courfeyrac nodded. He remembered. She’d been a little tipsy, they had all been. She told Combeferre that he was like a butterfly, which Combeferre made the cutest confused face at, and Joly had interjected that he was more like a kitten, which Combeferre looked even more confused at, but Courfeyrac couldn’t help but agree with.

“Well, code sunshine is to say “courf’s here” basically.”

“Wait, why would you have a code to tell Enjolras that I’m here?”

“So that he doesn’t start talking about... I don’t know, things that might offend you?”

Courfeyrac mustered the most unimpressed look he could.

“Okay, fine. I get it, that was a stupid excuse. But it’s easier than just saying “hey I have a crush on you, what’s new with you?” Combeferre snapped. And then he seemed to register what he said. “Oh my god.”

“You have a crush on me?” Courfeyrac asked. “I’ve had a crush on you since the day we met.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Combeferre laughed quietly. “Maybe seriously could be our always.”

Courfeyrac groaned, but started laughing. “That was bad. Get over here and kiss me you dork.”

Combeferre hummed in agreement. “Gladly.”

**  
  
**

Cosette and Marius were married the next summer. Courfeyrac was Marius’s best man, and Eponine looked wonderful in her maid of honor dress. Jehan couldn’t decide between a dress and a suit so ey just wore a dress with dress pants underneath. Joly and Bossuet ate all the cake, Marius dropped the ring when he went to put it on Cosette’s finger, Enjolras danced awkwardly, Courfeyrac and Combeferre made out in a corner, Bahorel and Feuilly disappeared about halfway through and reappeared wearing the wrong ties. Grantaire had hidden talent as a DJ, and all in all it was a crazy party, but no one would have changed it for the world.

 


End file.
